He says it will be “emotional,” likening it to LeBron James’ first visit back to Cleveland after leaving the Cavaliers.

Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant? Predictably, he’s on Howard as if playing defense in the NBA Finals.

Howard, traded by the Magic after eight seasons in Orlando, basically held the franchise hostage all last season, and now is being asked frequently about what it will be like to return to Amway Arena on Tuesday.

"I've thought about it. I think it's going to be crazy," said Howard, according to the Los Angeles Times. "I don't know how I'm going to handle it.

"I remember the situation with LeBron when he went to Cleveland for the first time. After the game, those guys were talking about how they were just trying to be there for him because they know how emotional it was. I'm pretty sure it's going to be very emotional for me. Even just to talk about it just brings back a lot of emotion, but we'll see how it goes."

Bryant, according to ProBasketballTalk.com, appeared incredulous after Sunday’s win over the Chicago Bulls when told that Howard said his return would be “emotional,” and then offered with some words of wisdom in advance of the team’s visit.

“Emotional?! I’ll talk to him,” Bryant said, while appearing exasperated. “Just go out there and bust they (butt). Show them what they’re missing.”

That got a laugh from reporters, but Bryant’s expression—or lack, thereof—seemed to imply that he couldn’t relate to the sentiment.

“Save the emotional (stuff) for when you retire,” he said.

Asked how he would handle the situation, Bryant answered: “I’d tear them up. It’s like me going back to Philadelphia for the (2001) Finals. They hated me for it, but it is what it is, you know what I mean? They’ll appreciate him at the end of his career when it’s all said and done. But right now, no matter what he says, they’re going to boo him and they’re not going to like him right now.”

The message: Nothing Howard says or does right now is going to appease Magic fans or former teammates, for that matter.

“There’s nothing that he can say that’s going to alter what they’re going to do,” Bryant said. “So why bother? The best thing to do is to go out there and stay focused on what we’re trying to accomplish and what we’re trying to do. It’s water under the bridge.”

Bryant eventually gave in a bit, telling reporters: “It may be tough for him. He’s a very, very nice kid. He wants to say the right things and please as many people as he can. You can’t please everybody, and I’ll talk to him about it a little bit before we get down to Orlando and try to put a little of that a–hole in him for the game.”

Bryant made reference to Shaquille O'Neal's first trip back to Orlando, the team he left for Los Angeles in free agency. "Shaq didn't give a s---," Bryant said.

That’s more in line with how Lakers teammate Steve Nash sees things, ProBasketballTalk.com reported.

“It’ll be an interesting atmosphere with Dwight going back there,” Nash said. “I think he’s going to get some rough treatment, but at the same time, it’s good for Dwight to go back and kind of get some closure and maybe take a little bit of a beating. At the same time, people can’t forget what he did for that organization.”